Eternal Gold

The Year 2021

The burnt orb splashed its amber light across the waterfront as I drove into St. Augustine, Florida, at sunset. Moss-covered oaks greeted me as I entered the oldest city in America. This once Spanish city had long been my planned escape from the world if the need arose, though I never thought this day would come.

In the progression of building a successful business, I had forgotten about the so-called seven deadly sins of pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, sloth. I had fallen victim to five and was guilty of two, pride and sloth. What others thought of me had been a cornerstone of my psyche, pride. I had been slothful in monitoring my partner and the accounting of my company.

Ideas were my business, and I had a gift for developing software to meet the changing needs of society. Tom, my partner, the pitchman, sold it until he stole it and my wife in the end. Ninety million dollars of investment capital, my wife, and dog Rudy disappeared overnight without a trace. I miss Rudy, my Staffordshire terrier, only him I can forgive.

Have you ever woken up to find everything gone? You went to bed the night before content, but while you slept, the axis of your world shifted, and you awaken to an alternate reality perpetrated by those you trusted the most. Investors, bankers, and creditors wanted my head. The FBI had begun an investigation and sought answers I didn't have. Investigative news reporters hounded me with the hope of their Pulitzer moment for solutions I didn't have.

I was the idea man and didn't oversee the business side of Future Unlimited LLC, and no one would believe how stupid I had been. I escaped to my haven, St Augustine, in my inherited nineteen eighty-five Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck still titled in my dad's name with a total of eight hundred and eighty-three dollars in cash in my wallet and checked into St. Georges Inn in the historic district. Exhausted, I went to sleep.

****

The following morning, in a mental fog, I walked Ponce de Leon Blvd past the Castillo de San Marcos fortress and headed west like a young pioneer in need of escape. The thought Go West Young Man permeated my mind with the wish to awake tomorrow to a different century.

Extreme heat, fatigue due to stress, and the lack of a proper meal in two days left me weak. I stopped at a park bench on a shaded lawn near a group of trees at the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Archeological Park. The shade from the trees, along with the breeze off the nearby water, invited me to sit and rest. I sat and laid my head back and peered into the branches that afforded my relative comfort. A golden pear glowed high in its sprouted arms.

Ahhh, a pear tree, I thought. "You're like me," I said aloud, "I have about one pear to my name too, aren't we a pair."

My stomach rumbled, and I realized I needed food, and the fruit tempted me. I closed my eyes, breathed deep, and thought; Two pairs are better than one, no that's not right, a pear is better than one, or is it two pears are better than one.

My eyes fluttered open in alarm that I was losing my mind. I sat up straight when the pear, once high up in the tree, seemed closer, much closer, and almost reachable. The shapely green fruit shimmered like gold, and star-like dust feathered onto my hair and face. I stood up, reached high, and the golden fruit met my hand. I plucked it, and a flow of warmth from the pear eased into my hand and up my arm.

I sat on the bench and rotated the luscious fruit to inspect its perfection. A sign nearby, under the trees, posted:

Please do not touch the trees or plants as you enjoy the park.

"They have taken everything from me, if I have to live forever I will find them to get justice. I am normally not a rule breaker, but I'm going to eat this pear. Rules be damned," I said.

I sunk my teeth into the soft skin. The sugary juice spurt in my mouth, and I ate the entire pear, seeds and all, to hide my minor crime.

A park caretaker, by his uniform, appeared on a path from the park and approached me; I ran. I looked over my shoulder to gauge any pursuit and ran straight into the path of a moving Trolley tour bus. I felt the blunt force impact, and then there was darkness.

****

Beep, beep, beep rang in my ears, and my eyes blinked open to soft blue light illuminating gray walls in a semi-darkened room. An IV-line drip protruded from my arm and a foggy awareness slowly registered in my mind I was in a hospital.

A doctor entered, as she asked the nurse, "Are you sure the trolley hit him? The tests show no trauma, broken bones, or even contusions."

"The police at the scene say the driver reported the accident and thought he had killed someone," the nurse said, "the patient is conscious now."

The doctor stood by my bed, and I sensed her unique and genuine empathy for the first time in my life. The kind that only exists in books but we'd all like to experience.

"Mr. Henry, welcome back, I'm Dr. Meredith Carter and I'm your attending physician. You are a lucky man and in perfect health," she said. Her Spanish black eyes set in a smooth olive tan face radiated compassion. She took my wrist and checked my pulse.

"You were hit by a trolley bus and unconscious when you arrived at the emergency room. We can find no injuries but an overnight stay for observation is required."

Mesmerized, I would have agreed to almost anything and nodded my head in acknowledgment.

"The Jacksonville police are waiting outside but I have delayed them for a time." She opened the door, and a man entered, and she left us alone.

"You are a lucky man Mr. Henry." I looked up, and the caretaker from the park stood in my doorway.

This is the second time I was declared lucky. The events of the past two days were not born of luck. My longtime partner had absconded with my wife and money and ruined my life.

"I am Enrique, and we need to talk," he said.

"If this is about the breaking the park rules then I apologize and understand you being upset," I said.

"I must ask you; did you see the golden fruit in the pear tree?" he said.

"Yes," I said. Enrique's eyes grew wide with unblinking intent and moved closer to me.

"Mr. Henry, did you eat the pear?"

I didn't think one little pear could be a capital crime, but it was important to him.

"Please sir, tell me," he said.

I think he held his breath as he awaited my answer.

"Yes, I ate the pear, the whole pear, and nothing but the pear and it was great," I said.

Enrique dropped onto the hospital chair, put his face in his hands, and cried.

"It was just one pear. What is its worth?" I said.

Dr. Carter entered my room, and I realized the resemblance between her and Enrique, their eyes.

"Well?' she inquired not of me but the caretaker.

He stood, and his face beamed with joy.

"Yes, yes, yes, he ate the pear," he said, and they rushed into an embrace.

"Excuse me. What is going on?" I said.

"My apology Mr. Henry, I will explain, but it may take time for you to believe me," Enrique said, "I am two hundred and sixty years old, though I appear forty. You may not believe me, but in time you will."

He left the room, and I thought him crazy. Maybe we both were.

****

Two men in blazers entered the room and flashed their detective badges. I expected to be read my rights and placed in handcuffs.

"Mr. Henry, we regret to inform you that your wife and your business partner are dead. From reports, we can gather, the plane they fled the country in crashed on landing in the Bahamas. Recorded radio transmissions indicate a dog on board caused the crash. Also, the mystery of your finances has been resolved as well. A wire transfer for ninety million dollars was rescinded and returned. Apparently, a co-conspirator in the bank got cold feet and reversed the transfer. He is in the custody of the FBI."

Rudy saved me, my loyal dog. Jolted through my mind.

"You have been cleared of any wrongdoing," the detective said.

****

Four weeks later, I sold my business, except the name, to a mega software conglomerate that offered twice its valuation. The news focused on someone else's misery, and I walked away from mine.

I sat outside of the emergency room in St. Augustine and waited until Dr. Carter walked into the parking lot.

"Dr. Carter," I said, "Could we talk?"

She recognized me and walked toward me.

"I've been wondering when you would find me," she said, "Please call me Meredith. Let's find some coffee, I think we are both going to need it."

****

The next day she took me to meet Enrique, her uncle, at the Fountain of Youth Park, and we sat under the shade of the pear tree and he told me his story.

"The pear tree has not chosen anyone since 1801. I was born in 1760, about thirty miles from here. Accused of a crime I did not commit; I fled to St Augustine to escape prosecution and hid in these trees to stow away on a departing ship. Hungry and angry, I wished for justice for those who had harmed me," he said, "Then the pear chose me, and I ate it."

I nodded for him to continue.

"At nightfall, I climbed the side of a docked sloop but slipped, hit my head on a rail, and fell into the water. A night watchman found me floating by the ship. I should have drowned, but I couldn't, as you will learn,” he continued.

"The next day, my accuser's conspiracy was outed, and my good name restored to me. For the last two hundred and twenty years, I have sought justice for the downtrodden and learned I could not die, until now."

He paused, and his eyes brimmed in emotion.

"Mr. Henry, the golden pear chose you and symbolizes eternity, forever. You accepted it when you ate its fruit. You have freed me to die someday finally, and I am forever thankful. The mission to seek justice for others is now yours."

Meredith is my great-niece many times over and can help you. She is aware of the secret of the Pear tree.

****

The Year 2131

Today is my one hundred and fiftieth birthday, and I am alone. Meredith died in 2081 at the age of ninety-one. I held her hand as she slipped into eternity. No one should outlive their children and grandchildren, and I can attest to the pain. The fountain of youth has become a curse and not a blessing.

My Future Unlimited LLC has helped tens of thousands find freedom from oppression. The foundation does not care about the color of one's skin, the choice of gender or partner; it only seeks justice and does so swiftly. We can be found at FULL.org on any device and no wrong is too large or small. I have all the time in the world.

I invite you to St Augustine to visit the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Park. There is a bench in the shade under a pear tree. Come relax for a bit, and maybe it will choose you, and my mission will be complete. The pear is sweet but you'll taste it forever.